Printing instrument



Dec. 19, 1967 R. DAVIS 3,358,596

PRINTING INSTRUMENT Filed Feb. 19, 1965 Inventor ROBERT L. 0/! W5 UnitedStates Patent 3,358,596 PRINTING INSTRUMENT Robert L. Davis, Alexandria,Va., assignor to Farrington Business Machines Corporation, Springfield,Va., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Feb. 19, 1965, Ser. No.433,913 6 Claims. (Cl. 101-269) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A printingmachine comprising a base, a platen head movable over the base, aremovable tray defining a printing bed seated on the base and supportinga printing plate, a spring biased clip on the tray for securing adocument on the tray to overlie the printing plate and a rim integralwith the base for receiving and positioning the tray in printingposition under the platen head, the rim overlapping the tray therebysecuring it within a fixed plane.

The present invention relates to a printing device and, moreparticularly, to an improved printing device for recording data on salesslip documents or the like by means of typographical plates to a kindsuitable for use as identification tokens and adapted to be carried byindividuals.

Objects of the invention are to provide a new and improved printingdevice having a portable printing bed tray which produces clean cut anduniform imprinting, which operates conveniently and with little effort,which is simple and economical in construction, which is adapted forvirtually any size of documents or number of copies to be reproducedthereon, which is individually adjustable to readily accommodate anycompatible printing device, which provides a portable printing bed trayenabling information to be readily written on a document fastenedthereon, which allows transactions to be expeditiously accomplished, andwhich is durable and reliable in use.

Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferredembodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of the imprinter and portableprinting bed tray constructed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention.

The embodiment herein shown for the purpose of illustration comprises aprinting device having a pair of C- frame members 11 and 12, each beingin parallel relationship with the other, yet separated by a base 13which is mounted for support on the C-frame members by suitablefastening means (not shown). Overhead of the base are located a pair ofparallel guide rails 14 and 15 which are adequately spaced and fastenedat their ends to the upper portions of the respective C-frame members 11and 12. The inner sides of the guide rails 14 and 15 are channeled, todefine a pair of paths 16 and 17 respectively, for guiding two pair ofbearings 18 rotatably mounted on a pair of shafts 19.

The bearings 18 are employed to guide a platen head assembly, generallyreferred to as 21, over the base for imprinting purposes as willhereinafter be described. The platen head assembly comprises a handle 22to which is attached a U-shaped bracket 23 having downwardly extendingsides the lower ends of which are adapted to slideably receive a shaft24 supporting for rotation a platen roller 25, whereby the platen rolleris either of the dry or ink type such as that disclosed in GilbertPatent 3,358,596 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 2,620,730 issued Dec. 9, 1952.The middle portions of the U-shaped bracket extensions and housingmember 27 are each bored to receive a rod 26. Housing member 27 isadditionally bored to receive shaft members 19 for carrying the housingby way of bearings 18 in the limits of paths 16 and 17, thus supportingthe housing for reciprocating motion within the printing device. Thehousing in turn supports platen head assembly 21 in a pivotable fashionabout rod 26.

The printing device is adapted to readily receive a portable print bedtray 30 on base 13 and to position the tray so that a selected area onthe tray will lie directly under the path of travel traversed by theplaten head assembly 21 during an imprint operation. The positioning ofthe tray is accomplished by a guide rim 28, which is located about threesides of the base, and lips 29 extending partly about the rear area ofthe base, the latter being utilized for restraining any possible rockingor vertical movement of the tray while being held in the printingdevice. The base 13 has a protruding front portion 13 which providesbacking for enabling one to easily write information on a document 45fastened on the print bed tray 39 while the tray is seated in theprinting device 21. The print bed tray may be made of any rigid materialsuch as heavy cardboard, Masonite, plastic, metal, or the like, however,the material must have the capacity for withstanding platen printingpressures in the area of twenty to seventy pounds. The print bed tray,as illustrated, comprises an anvil 31 fastened thereto in a fixed mannerfor supporting a printing plate 32 of the type having raised typethereon, which printing plate may be made of plastic, metal or anycombinations of the same. To properly position the printing plate onanvil 31, there are a pair of right-angled guides 33 and a pair of pins34 adjacent the anvil, for respectively accommodating the lower edge ofplate and holes 35 in the upper edge of the plate.

The print bed tray may, if desired, also be provided with a second anvil36 and right-angled undercut ear projections 37 for seating thereon asecond printing plate 38 which could be utilized for a dealersidentification or some other purpose. Alongside the second anvil mightalso be a cutout 39 in the print bed tray, wherein there is placed adate wheel 41 which is attached by screw means 42 to the print bed tray.Base 13 is channeled at 40 to accommodate the date wheel 41 when theprinting bed tray is placed on the base. Between the upper surface ofthe print bed tray and each head of screw means 42 is positioned aspring (not shown) allowing date wheel adjustment at various heights forproper printing pressure, depending on the thickness of the printingplates and/or documents to be used. To provide for optimum printingpressure within the system and simultaneously allow several trays to beutilized with a single printing device, the height of the printing platesupport surfaces on the anvil-s are separately adjustable by insertingshims between the anvils and the tray. By achieving the above it can beappreciated that the necessity for observing critical thicknesstolerances in manufacturing the trays is alleviated.

At the head of the print bed tray is a large spring-biased clip 44 witha rubber tip 44' for frictionally fastening thereto a substantial partof one end of the document 45 to be printed. To expeditiously align thedocument 45 on the print bed board over the anvils 31 and 36 there areprovided a guide wall 46 under the spring-biased clip 44 and a pair ofguide lips 47. The print bed tray is indented or recessed at apertures48 under the locations to be occupied by printing plates 32 and 38adjacent the anvils 31 and 36 respectively, to facilitate the handlingof the printing plates when placed on and removed from their mutualanvils. In addition to the above, by suitably fixing a low lying pin 50in the rear of base 13 and in line with a recess 48, the printing plate38, if displaced outwardly on anvil 36, will be properly aligned on thesame due to physical engagement with pin 50 when the tray 30 has beencompletely inserted in the printing device.

In operation, printing plates 32 and 38 are seated on their respectiveanvils 31 and 36, and document 45 is fastened on the print bed tray byway of clip 4-4 to properly lie over the printing plates, against guidewall 46 and under guide lips 47. The print bed tray is then insertedinto the printing device and pushed rearwardly under lips 29 until itstrikes the rear of the printing device. Correct positioning as to theprint bed tray can be verified by visually observing whether or not thelocation of the area to be imprinted on the document lies directlybetween guide rails 14, and 15 which rails define the printing path,and/ or by observing corresponding x markings on tray 30 and lip 29.Motion is then imparted to the platen head assembly for moving the sameleft to right across the printing device and over the anvils 31 and 36causing an impression to be transferred onto the document 45 fromprinting plates 32), 38 and date wheel 41 by pressure en gagementtherewith. Attention is called to the fact that since in the illustratedembodiment an imprint operation is preferable initiated from left toright, accordingly, the document 45 is only fastened relative to theleft end of the printing device. Therefore, to avoid wrinkling document45 on the return stroke from right to left, the platen through handle 22will be rocked about the rod 26 for displacing the same at a greaterdistance from the print bed tray than that distance during imprinting,thus preventing any engagement with the document. It will beappreciated, however, that one could readily modify the presentinvention allowing bidirectional imprinting to be possible by eithermerely fastening the right hand side of document 45 or providing a rigidplaten head assembly with limited movement over the document. Optimumprinting on the documents during the print cycle may be obtained byproperly spacing the platen relative to the printing bed tray in amanner such as that disclosed in a co-pending US. patent application No.378,189, filed by James M. Patterson on June 26, 1964, now Patent No.3,274,931.

It is observed that the present invention is adapted for accommodating awide variety of document sizes. However, it has been found that it isespecially useful for use with those larger types of documents whichequal or exceed letter size dimensions and/ or have increasedthicknesses. These large-size documents are quite often utilized in thecourse of commercial trade for numerous types of transactions, whichappear in the form of shipping slips, order forms, bills of lading,repair and maintenance forms, inventory forms, billing forms, hospitalforms, or any similar type documents where a large numher of entries isgenerally required. In utilizing many of the above-mentioned type formsthe clear recording of certain information is most important inprocessing the documents. Applicant has not only presented a devicewhich allows such recording to be clearly made by printting, but hasdisclosed a unique portable tray which also allows other variableinformation to be readily recorded by hand while the document remains onthe same printing bed tray. Furthermore, several trays may readily beadjusted for use with a single printing device as shown in the presentinvention allowing several transactions to be simultaneously achievedand obviating the necessity for the additional manhandling of documentsin transferring the same from a writing plane or holder to a printingbed for recording information. Thus, by use of such a tray, transactionsmay be expeditiously, conveniently, and neatly accomplished.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and thatnumerous modifications or alterations may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and the scope of the invention, it is desired,therefore, that only such limitations be placed on the invention as areimposed by the prior art and as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates a machine comprising a base, a pair of spaced guiderails defining a path, a platen head assembly adapted for rockablemotion into and out of printing position, bearing means for reciprocallymoving the platen head assembly by way of said path over the base, aportable tray defining a printing bed removably seated on the base so apart of the tray completely underlies the path traversed by the platenhead assembly, said tray of rigid one piece sheet material and aifordinga generally rectangular planar printing bed adapted to support aprinting plate for having an imprint made therefrom, a spring biasedclip attached to the tray for fastening a document thereto to overliethe printing plate support area, guide means for locating a document onthe tray, rim means integral with said base for receiving andpositioning the tray, said rim means overlapping the tray at twoopposite sides thereof for holding the tray within a fixed plane, meanson the tray for temporarily securing the printing plate thereto, thedocument being fastened by the spring biased clip to the tray in such amanner to prevent the document from bellowing when a printing operationis taking place.

2. In the art of printing machines according to claim 1 wherein saidspring biased clip is positioned on the tray perpendicular to the pathtraversed by the platen head assembly and also positioned to one side ofthe printing head assembly when in its initial start position prior tomaking an imprint, said spring biased clip further positioned to lieoutside of the area traversed by the printing head assembly.

3. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates, the combination recited in claim 2 including indicatingmeans for visually vertifying that the tray has been properly positionedon the base.

4. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates, the combination recited in claim 2 including recessesin the tray adjacent and partly under the printing plate support meansfor allowing the same to be easily removed therefrom.

5. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates, the combination recited in claim 2 including pin meanson said tray for accommodating an aperture printing plate to insure thatthe printing plate has been properly positioned.

6. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates, the combination recited in claim 2 wherein at leasttwo-thirds of the area of a document placed on the tray lies outsidethat area traversed by the platen head assembly but over the areadefined by the tray to support the document for readily Writinginformation thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,930,009 10/1933 Hammann 101-3832,891,295 6/1959 Little 281-44 3,056,347 10/1962 Dashew et al. 101-2693,236,177 2/1966 Perry et al 101-269 3,274,931 9/1966 Patterson 101-269ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

F. A. WINANS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN THE ART OF PRINTING MACHINES OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO USE PORTABLEPRINTING PLATES A MACHINE COMPRISING A BASE, A PAIR OF SPACED GUIDERAILS DEFINING A PATH, A PLATEN HEAD ASSEMBLY ADAPTED FOR ROCKABLEMOTION INTO AND OUT OF PRINTING POSITION, BEARING MEANS FOR RECIPROCALLYMOVING THE PLATEN HEAD ASSEMBLY BY WAY OF SAID PATH OVER THE BASS, APORTABLE TRAY DEFINING A PRINTING BED REMOVABLY SEATED ON THE BASE SO APART OF THE TRAY COMPLETELY UNDERLIES THE PATH TRAVERSED BY THE PLATENHEAD ASSEMBLY, SAID TRAY OF RIGID ONE PIECE SHEET MATERIAL AND AFFORDINGA GENERALLY RECTANGULAR PLANAR PRINTING BED ADAPTED TO SUPPORT APRINTING PLATE FOR HAVING AN IMPRINT MADE